Page 56 - The Digital Cloth Issue 7

My life has been a rich in Art Education for my thread paintings, my
tapestry of creative eventually went on to wearable art, and my art
endeavours; a journey of graduate with a Masters in quilts. For me, as much as I
being passionate about Art Therapy. My love techniques my heart is

creativity, textiles, stitching, working life has been a in the designing and
drawing and design, combination of pursuing expression of ideas.
photography, self-expression, my own creativity and Techniques allow me to
and about expressing the helping others find their express and give a voice to
beauty that I see in the world own creativity or my ideas. The process of
around me. The ‘threads’ of facilitating their search designing is what I love and
the tapestry have been the for creative solutions to I find constant inspiration in
pursuing of my own trauma or life challenges. the world around me – I have

creativity, and helping Studying Fibre at enough photos for five lives
others in their creative University was focused of creating! The idea of
journeys. Being a sewer, a mostly on the conceptual taking inspiration from the
maker and loving to be process of creating and ordinary and translating it
creative has been part of my at that stage my textile into an artwork, making a
life story for as long as I can work had no stitching. I statement, making it
remember. My first learned about thread beautiful and appealing is
childhood memories are painting by participating what drives me. I want
of drawing, designing and in a Kristen Dibbs observers to stop and think
learning to sew from my workshop at a Fibre about what they see in the
mother; I loved dolls and Forum in Mittagong (how world around them. While
would make clothes for I loved and enjoyed those creating I am often thinking

them and also hand sewed Fibre Forums!) I loved the ahead to the next project
little garments for myself as idea of drawing with my because as Maya Angelou
a child. As an adolescent I sewing machine and it says: “You can’t use up
learnt to drive a sewing opened my world to creativity. The more you use
machine and my first award creating artworks and the more you have.” I am a
was 2nd place in a regional wearable garments with restless soul, never feeling
sewing competition as a 15 stitch and thread. At the like I have quite ‘arrived’ at
year old – I still remember same time, I also explored my destination and not

the brown pin stripe 4 piece silk painting, felting, content to stand still,
suit with an apricot satin screen printing and lino therefor I’m always
shirt…..my favourite subjects printing and creating lace exploring new ways of
were Textiles and Art. Going fabric with dissolvable expressing my ideas.
to University and fabric and often my However, having said that, I
studying for a Visual Art wearable art was a have found my visual
Degree enabled me to combination of language through line,
marry my love of textiles and techniques. One can never shape, pattern and colour,
art and I graduated with a have too many techniques these being predominate
major in Fibre Art and a up one’s sleeves!! elements in my work. My
second major in Exhibiting and entering mantra on my website is
Photography. During my first competitions is part of “stitch by stitch, taking the

degree I discovered the being an artist and I have line for a walk”, the idea
power of art therapy and pursued opportunities for being the line is pivotal to
after completing a Post Grad both. I have won awards most design elements,